DEEP DIVE
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ore high-speed cameras. Unique audio enhancements. Highend data-filled augmented reality graphics. One-of-a-kind alternate game telecasts. And, of course, ultra high-definition (UHD) and high-dynamic range (HDR). At ESPN, the name of the game is serving the fan and, again in 2022, the broadcaster found ways to make the live game better and better. Ed Placey, VP, production; Kevin Lopes, VP, sports business development & innovation; Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu, VP of ESPN Creative Studio; and Dennis Cleary, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution’s director, remote facilities reflect on the big accomplishments of 2022. On ESPN’s commitment to innovation in and around the live game broadcast: Brzezinski-Hsu: Our mantra from our group is to take sports from game to entertainment. That becomes our North Star when we choose innovation and technology partners for all things that we do. Our goal is to create and tell stories in a different way. We’ve all told sports stories the same way for so many years, but how do we elevate that storytelling? How do we make it a more immersive experience, especially for those fans that aren’t necessarily core fans? How do we bring that out in the live game? It’s part of the ethos of the Walt Disney Company to really create a cinematic experience. Placey: The word innovation gets thrown around a lot — and it’s a good word — but at ESPN our whole company isn’t responsible for innovation. There’s those of us that keep everybody informed about the technology and innovation that we’ve done in the past and the good lessons and the hard lessons we’ve learned to help make every new step in innovation that much better.
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SPORTS PRODUCTION 2023 YEARBOOK
At the 2022 US Open, ESPN produced matches for the first time in UHD HDR. Here is inside the ESPN control room that was producing the UHD feed from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On the biggest live game technology advancements in 2022: Cleary: We’ve concentrated a lot on UHD. We have select college basketball games, select college football games. We’re doing, for the first time, Monday Night Football in 1080p HDR. We did the US Open (tennis) in UHD at the main [Arthur] Ashe Stadium and 1080p for all the other courts, which was a huge challenge. Looking ahead to 2023, we’re looking to do our Saturday Prime college basketball games in UHD HDR. Another great accomplishment this year was the development of our own in-house drone team. We have more than five pilots and coordinators who support the entire Walt Disney Company. We have over 20 drones that have flown over 300 hours and supported 65 different events. ESPN worked with the NBA and Canon on a volumetric video version of NBA Courtview for an ESPN+ live stream of a game between the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets in March.
